Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot
2972 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
703.560.6868
http://www.yelp.com/biz/uncle-lius-hot-pot-falls-church
Recently featured in the Washingtonian as the one of the best places to get dinner for a bargain, Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot is as much fun as it is filling. The wait staff is very friendly, cheerful, attentive, and willing to answer any questions you have. This was my first time getting hot pot but it definitely won’t be my last.
If you haven’t had a hot pot experience it’s very much like fondue. Here’s how the process goes: When you first arrive the hostess asks if you would like to order from the menu, the buffet, or if you’re getting the hot pot. After sitting the waiter asks which kind of broth you’d like spicy (lots of heat but not unbearable) or mild (with is like a chicken broth) or both. I would recommend the spicy broth just because it really has a strong flavor compared to the mild broth and everything comes out much more flavorful. He’ll bring the cooking utensils and the burner over and turn it up so the broth begins to boil. Then you choose a la carte which items from the menu you’d like. The menu includes a variety of vegetables and meats as wells as items like noodles, dumplings, and rice cake. I would highly recommend the broccoli, white mushrooms, lamb, noodles, and rice cake. The meats come either frozen or chilled and completely raw while the vegetables come uncooked – the noodles and rice cake come cooked but are still willing to absorb flavor. The fun comes in when you start tossing in your a la carte items to cook. Be careful not to overcook the veggies as they can get soggy, just like that would at home obviously, and try to separate the pieces of meat as you add them in so they don’t stick together that way they cook evenly. Generally speaking, we were probably a little more gung ho than most but it was all in good fun. If you watch how other patrons handle the meal they add their portions, let it cook, and fish it out – if you work like we do then everything goes in and it’s every man for himself. Any way you slice it, it’s delicious, fun, and hearty.
There is also a sauce bar you can visit for $1 per person to make your own sauce to go with your meal. Ingredients at the bar include peanut sauce, sesame sauce, sesame oil, spicy oil, cilantro, garlic, salt, green onions, soy sauce, MSG, Asian BBQ sauce, and oyster sauce – among others. Two of our favorite combinations included Oyster sauce + sesame oil + cilantro + garlic and spicy oil + garlic + green onion. If you chose the mild broth I would definitely recommend a spicy sauce to go on the side.
Uncle Liu’s hot pot is great for groups because it emphasizes a family oriented style of eating and incorporates an interactivity that even the most wary of home cooks can appreciate! Whether you’re a huge fan of hot pot or never had it before you cannot go wrong with Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot!
